Past and present commissioners of the Food and Drug Administration recently announced an initiative to engage partners to help combat public health misinformation.
Explaining the rationale for this move, current FDA Commissioner Robert Califf stated, “I actually believe that misinformation is the leading cause of death right now in the U.S.,” saying that “people are making bad choices driven by the information that they get.”
Encouraging words that the FDA needs to take to heart when presenting information about vaping.
This is not the first time Califf has expressed dissatisfaction with poor public health messaging. In September, he condemned the “growing spread of rumors, misinformation and disinformation about science, medicine and the FDA.”
He rightly identified that “the distortions and half-truths of misinformation and disinformation pose enormous dangers to the effectiveness of science and to public health itself.” He vowed to make “combating misinformation one of (his) priorities” on social media.
While it is admirable of the FDA to try to tackle misinformation that can adversely affect individual public health choices, it would be helpful if Califf could first address the FDA’s own misinformation when it comes to reduced-risk alternatives to combustible tobacco, including vaping.
Martin Cullip – DC Journal – 2023-01-16.
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